.D c. MIHU 

“” .**PY 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AIJSTI N 

Maroh 1, 19S9 

Hon. f. FL Hendcmon, Jr. 

&wirtant county Attorney 

Hardron County 

Narrhall, 'Poxa 

Deai Sir: 

mitted with you 

t8nor in parain 

Revised Citll 

on 3a of Irtiola 2902, l p r a , by itr terms 

n oountlsr harlng the population of not 

leas than 48,900 and not more than 49,000 lnhabitantr, 

aooording j to the preoeblng Fedora1 oen8u8 the #au$ttr 

korprr 

udI

and 

Mge S

8tenographer 

UtQl y OnpO. e

at 

y 

a 

ra

8alary 

8Oll O8 ff

to 

l 

be 

88i8t %00 

fixed by 

book thr a llt- , 

oounty Judge not to exoeed $1,800r00 per annum la tuulve 

8QUal monthly instdlmentr out of the tinoral ?und Of the 
Hon. J. B. Hendsreon, Jr., Maroh 1, 1939, Page 2 

oouqw. Th. pOpti4tiOll Of &rri8O!l COUllt]r 18 48,937, 

;;i; ialllng within the term8 of Seotlon 38, Art1014 

. Hamiron l?ounty 18 the only oounty ln the Stat4 

whloh, aooordlng to the preoedlng TeAor oan8u8, that 

had a population rlthln the limita 8p4Olfl4d in Saotlon 

3a of Art1014 3902. 

tion 

S4otlon 56, Art1014 2 OS the Stat4 ConltltuprorlAe8 In part a8 iollor8: 

mo kgI818tum 8hall not, exoept a8 

othorwl84 provided ln thI4 Oonrtitution, pa88 

anJ 10081 or 8p4Olti 1aW8, authori 

T 

. . . . 

regulating the affair8 of OOtUitlO8, o tlol, 

tOWn8, ward8 or rohool diltriot8...dnd in 

all other Oa408 whero a general law oui b4 

mad0 applloable, 110 looal or 8p40181 law 8ha11 

bs ennoted; prorlA4A, that nothlng h4r4ln oontalnsd rhall b4 oonrtru4d to prohIbit’th4 

bgirlatura irom paseing 8peaial law8 for the 

pr48enatIon of gaa4 and flrh of this Stat4 

In oart8In looallt148.a 

tion 

8aotIon 87 of Artlola 3 of tha State Comtltumad8 as follow83 

"Ho local Or 8paoial law 8hall b4 pa8846, 

unl68r notioe of the lntantlon to rpply tharafor 8hall h4r4 b4an publlrhrd in tha looality 

wham the mattar or thing to bo l ii4oteA pay 

be rltuatsd, whloh not184 rhall 8tata the rub8tanOe o? tha oontearplatrd law;and ahall ba 

publlehed at least thirty day8 prior to the 

Introduotlon lnto the Laglslature of auoh bill 

and in the nmnnar to b4 provided by law. Tha 

erldanor of suoh'notloa hating been publishad, 

8ha11 br 4xhIblteA In the Lagialatura, before 

auoh not aball ba pg(a4A.n 

mU8t 

We hat4 Iarormatlon iron yr brlai, whlop w8 ._. _ 

aasuma aa oorreot, tnat 8uon notxoo yfa4 aot puollsh4A l ooordlng to tho abort-quotad Saotion 87, Art1214 

3 Of tha Stat4 COn8titUtiOn. 

In the oam, Gray ~8. Taylor 227 0. S. 31, tha 

&pram4 Court of tha Unltad Stat48 adL3a a 10081 law 

a8: 

“Th4 phra84 *looal law’ mean8 primarIlr, 
, ’ 

” 

. 

. 

.52’6 

. SsB 

Hon. J. B. HmAar8on, Jr., Uaroh 1, 1939, Pag4 3 

at loa8t, a 18W In riot If not In ?OX'M, 18 

dir~ot44 only to a 8p4OifiO 8DOtr* 

Tha 0884, aity Ot Tort Worth tie Bobbltt, 36 

SW (&A] g'F0, hold8 aaong other thiXlg8, that.t 

"hit not aDpliOabl8 t0 OOUUti.8 haVin& 

a gopulatloa or tram 33,190 to 3b.300 ~88 

4varlt4 and 8p4ola1, 4Itlng Hlxron ~8~ 

Bur8on. 64 Ohio Stat4 470 

mi88iOll4?8 f8. 8'&Wlgl4?, i 

OW48 Ootmty Om59 In4. 876, an4 

thrt a8 8ot authorirring bond8 by oitis8 having batwaaa 100,000 an4 110,000 Inhabitant8 

by 1920 oaa8u8 b4Ing applioabh otiy to on8 

olty hold looal law within oonatltutlonal 

protI8loa.~ Oon8tItutIon Art1014 3, 34otIon 

S6. 

Th4 4a88, %XM ~OU!lt~ t8. mll, 4t d, 97 

8u (2nd) 367, hold8 lo 4ft8Ot, that: 

"COU?t8 in btWHiI%ilrg WhOth8r bW 18 

publlo, @maral, 8paolal or looal wlll.look 

to it8 8Ub8tano4 an4 praotloal oparatlon 

rather than to it8 tit14 form, phra84OlOg5, 

8InOO Otheni84 prOhibItiOn and ma~4nttd 

law agaln8t apsolal l4gIalatlon would ba 

nugatory. The hgf8latUr4 may olarrliy 

OOWlti48 on ba818 o? population ior pal-p088 

0s rixitig oomp4nsatIon at oounty and pr4olaot 

oSfIoar8 but olarrifioatlon mU8t b4 bass4 

on r48l airtinotion -4 mu8t not b4 l rbltqgrz 

11~ d4TI84d to gin what i8, In lubrtanoa; a?. 

loon1 or 8proial law the fern of g488rti law*” 

Aotr raau0ing 8alarIrr of oftIo4rr In oountie8 Of mo,OoO Md 1088 th8XI 319,000 DODtiatloa ha14 orrFea8onabla and arbItar7 In it8 

Ola88ifiOatiOlI an4 void aI a 8DOOial law.'" 

U4 b4lIat4 that whather tha rot In quo8ttob I8 

to ba ragarddsd a8 8p4Oiaf and whethsr it8 oparation $8 

tumom throughout tha Stat8 d4pMd8 upon whathor population afford8 a fair barir ior the o~.a88ifioation Of OOUltlaa with rairrsnoe to mattar to whloh It rel8t88 and 

whether tha rrsult it l ooomplisher 18 in faOt 8 -81 

olasrifioation upon that baris MA sot a A48ignation Of 
Hon. J. Be HeaAar8oa. Jr., Ataroh 1, 1939, Paga 4 

l 8i@4 4OUnty t0 rhloh alon it 8hall apply tmdar the 

gUi84 Oi 8uoh 01488iri44tiOn. ‘phs law in qIm8tiOll ma8 

80 drawa that it 18 g4n4ral ia form but only appllad at 

th4 tlm4 it w4nt Into asriot to Hafi18On COue~ -4 

probably oould nafar apply to 8nothar oouat We think 

that a OOuaty oan b4 A481gnat4A by A48oript I' on ju8t aa 

l rr4 0tiar 48 It 1 oan ~ ba.nama -4 that tha l pplloatlon 

Of thi8 l Ot 18 80 infloxlbly ?iXOd a8 to Drrrent it 

aver balng applloablo fo other OOWlt148. 

Sootion 8 of Artlola 39124, Rat1844 Olrll gtatuts8 prorld48 aa fOiiOW8t 

*The CaPmiS8ioner8' OOurt Of suoh 

oOunty 8h411, on l pplioation to tha Co unty 

Judge, authorize tlm County JuAg4 to 4mploy 

a 8trnogtaphar at a salary o? tram On4 Htllrdr4d &llqa (#loo.oo t0 or14 HUtIdred 8nd 

Twmnty-fir4 Dollar8 ( 1 125.00) par month, 

and~ruoh extra hrlp as tha Commi8aIoa4rrB 

aourt MY a40m aA+I8abl4 8nd neoeassry at 

a ralar or not 4ro44aing Thirtp.Dollarr 

(#so.OO~ par w4ek, prOvidiag 8UOh 4xtctz8 

h4lp rhall not ba 4BIpiOy4d ?or 1a0r4 than on4 

p4r8On for three (5) month8 In any on4 oalendar year. Th4 salary of ruoh 8tanographar 

and 8uoh extra hrlp 8ha11 ba paid out o? 

the @noral ?Undr o? the oount~.m 

This art1010 appllsr to oountlar hraig-rror 

193,000 to 200,000 pop~ation. uader,the aOt in qU48tiOn, 

the maxImum oompsnsatlon o? an offi as8irtant, bookkaeper 8lld 8t4nOgraph4r O? the OOWlt7 judge 18 rai84d 

abow tha marim 4llOneA like OffIO4r8 In OOullti48 Of 

195,000 to 200,000 population -4 the 0884, Beur oouatr 

~8. Tymaa l t al, 8upra, olting thr on84 of Clark t8. 

Blnloy, 54 SW 343, aa08 the following languag4t 

ml8 oourt l’4OOglli84d the 8Ubrtantiat. 

airr4r0n00 in pOptiatiOn8 oi oountI48 00~14 

ba mad4 a bar18 or 14gIrlatlon ilxlng OOlDI 

p4n88tIOn o? 0??104r8, oa th4 th4ory. a8 

tha oourt olaarly r400~1244, that tha work 

44r4lopIag upon an 0??108r Wa8 in 801~4 aegrao 

proportion&a to ths population of the county. 
Hon. J. B. lbadarraa, Jr., Xaroh 1, 1939, Pagr 8 

Thlr hrr fnqu8ntlJ b44a raoognIr84 by the 

oouft8 a8 onatlag 8u??IoI4nt ai8tI~otioa to 

jmiry larg4r oosp4n8atloa for oounty off;- 

oer8 la oountlor hating a population a8 oopparad with oompenaatlon to like of?Io4rm In 

OOUdh8 having a 8I8811 population.' 

I4 think it true that If the Legial8tun lgnorss 

thr obriour f8Ot that the work o? an assistant, bookkeeper 

and rtanographar or tha oounty judge 18 proportIonat to 

population and Ola88iiic8 oountie8 in ruoh ray that tha 

oaopamation ot r uol h 8aiatant, bookkaapar and rtanographrr 

0s thr oounty juag4 In oountl48 having 4 amallsr population 18 ilred at mm4 than the ;oaxImu3 oomg4n8atiOtl allow44 11ka offlorr or amploy In oountiss hating a larger 

pODti8tiOll, 8uoh BOtiOB rPOUllt8 t0 fiXill& 8 Ola88ifiOatiOn 

whloh 18 arbitrary aad &Ioh ha8 no true relatanoy to tha 

pUl’pO84 Of thr 14gi8latiOn. 

In rlsw OS the for4going authorities, you am 

* r48p4otrull~ 8dVhd that It Is the opinion o? thlr D8- 

p8rta4nt that %?Ot1On 3 O? Art1014 3932 18 8 Bp4Oi.83. 18W 

an4, th4r4ror4,.18 unoon4tltutlon41 and void. 

Trwtlng that tho ioragolng ansrr4r8 your lnqulrt, -4 rcmaln 

Vary truly your8 

AlTORNZT GENSRAL OF TEXAB 

B&!dd&%~ 

Ardsll WliilaEI8 

.488i8t4Et